Muir, Warholm and Bol crowned as European champions.
Laura Muir, Karsten Warholm and Femke Bol who were among the biggest favourites to win a gold medal in Istanbul won the titles in women’s 1500m, men’s and women’s 400m, respectively.
Laura Muir obtained her third 1500m title after 2017 and 2019 with a mark of 4:03.40. Claudia Mihaela Bobocea also brought Romania the country’s first spot on the 1500m podium in 18 years with a silver, after the gold-silver double of Elena Iagar ve Corina Dumbravean in 2005. The 4:03.76 was her season best. 2017’s bronze and 2019’s silver medallist Sofia Ennaoui of Poland also ran a season best and added another bronze medal to her collection.
In women’s 400m, Femke Bol eased into the top spot in the final, just like in the previous round and became the gold-medallist. The Dutchwoman retained her title by running another sub-50 race, with 49.85. This was not, however, the only medal of the Netherlands in the event. Lieke Klaver, Bol’s teammate in 4×400 relay, became the silver-medallist in 50.57. Klaver’s first ever individual European medal also brought the Netherlands its first 1-2 double in the history of Euro Indoors women’s 400 metres. Anna Kielbasinska, with 51.25, added an indoor European bronze alongside the outdoor one she won last year in Munich.
Karsten Warholm won the men’s 400m title once more, four years after his gold medal in Glasgow. Despite struggling in the last 40 metres, he managed to see it through with 45.35. Julien Watrin, who improved the Belgian record he set during the semi-finals by 0.38 seconds to 45.44, won his first European Athletics Indoor Championships individual medal with silver. Watrin was a member of the Belgian relay teams that won the European title in 2015 and 2019 and a silver in 2017. Carl Bengtström of Sweden became the bronze-medallist with 45.77.
Wilma Murto, who pulled a big shock in last year’s European Championships by winning gold in women’s pole vault, jumped to the top spot in Istanbul as well. Murto, who broke the Finnish record with 4.80, obtained the biggest results of her indoors and outdoors career in the last six months. Tina Sutej, who came in third in Belgrade last year won silver with 4.75 whereas Amalie Svabikova became the bronze-medallist with 4.70.
